“Driving in our city is a privilege, not a right,” said Vacca, to a room packed with victims of vehicular violence and their loved ones, safe streets advocates, and media. Of dangerous drivers, Vacca said: “I want to know what the police department is doing to track down these scofflaws. We have to bring these people to their senses. We don’t accept gun violence as a way to die. We shouldn’t accept traffic deaths as a way to die either.”

Vacca and Vallone listened sympathetically to hours of testimony from those whose lives were forever altered by traffic crashes, and whose misery was often compounded by an inept and indifferent NYPD. Council members learned that the department has just 19 officers assigned to its Accident Investigation Squad, and that no one else on the force has the authority to charge a motorist with careless driving, much less a serious crime, unless the officer witnesses a violation.

Five months later, council members introduced the Crash Investigation Reform Act. Among its provisions was the formation of a multi-agency task force charged with reforming NYPD crash investigation protocols, which allow thousands of serious injuries to go uninvestigated every year, in violation of state law.

Speaker Christine Quinn, whose imprimatur is essential to moving legislation through the council, has not taken a position on NYPD crash investigation reforms.

Meanwhile, 15,465 city pedestrians and cyclists were injured in 2012, and 155 were killed, according to NYPD. About 1 percent of those crashes were investigated by police.

“Over the last year, over 280 New Yorkers died in traffic,” said Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, in a statement issued today. “How many of those deaths could have been averted if only the NYPD had listened to the voices pleading for reform? If the tear-stricken faces of victims’ families failed to move them, if the outraged questions of council members failed to move them, will that tragic number perhaps finally move Ray Kelly’s police department to make the commonsense reforms necessary to bring the ongoing plague of lethal and lawless driving under control?”

We’ll have more on the one-year anniversary of the City Council traffic safety hearing in upcoming posts.

Shame on those who are in a position to actually do something to prevent traffic deaths and serious injuries, and have done nothing. Shame on you.

Morris Zapp

It’s simple, really. Quinn wants to be mayor and so can’t risk any serious criticism of Ray Kelly, who, like Quinn herself, is a flesh eating lizard from outer space.

That this cold-blooded political calculus necessitates the destruction of thousands of lives is of no consequence to Chris Quinn (see: flesh eating lizard from outer space).

Alex C

I find it both sad and funny that in a city where public transit is the main mode of commuting, our politicians are fighting over who supports SUV-driving road ragers more.

http://twitter.com/billymeltdown Billy Gray

@eccfe854e12a08a0548f0744d7ddcee4:disqus wrote:

> Quinn wants to be mayor and so can’t risk any serious criticism of Ray Kelly, who, like Quinn herself, is a flesh eating lizard from outer space.
Is this conventional wisdom really true? Couldn’t we put it to the test? These guys are all looking for something to distinguish themselves from Quinn—what if we tried to rake her candidacy over the coals for failing to do anything or to speak up? Won’t be long before we see some changing tunes (see DeBlasio after his visit to NKD), these people need votes and they need people who will get out there and help. Me? I’ll help the first one to help the candidate that takes a strong stance on safe streets, especially the candidate that goes on record as willing to do something about this. Until then, no way, I won’t lift a finger for any of them.

http://twitter.com/billymeltdown Billy Gray

And by “rake” I mean we encourage people we know not to support her, loudly, vocally, and often.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Matt-Carty/100002964351452 KillMoto

Who investigates city police corruption? Isn’t that the job of the State Police?

http://twitter.com/BicyclesOnly Steve Vaccaro

Every day I see and hear from my clients about the toll that reckless drivers have taken on their lives. It makes me sick, after seeing all the posturing by the politicians with the victim’s families, that there has been exactly zero follow-through.